Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice: The War for Peace
by Mylinda Antoinette
Summary: This story brings out a lot of pentup emotions that ObiWan had thought he'd gotten over. When his friend Cerasi died years before, ObiWan thought he'd made peace with her death... until a new friend's life hangs in the balance, opening old wounds.
1. Chapter 1

Well, I decided to revise the first chapter, using the suggestions from Katieelessar! I thank you ever so much, Katie! You have really made a difference to the quality of my story!

* * *

Eighteen-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi walked briskly through the corridors of the Temple to join his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon had called him on his comlink with the message that the Council wished to speak with them. He turned the corner into the hall leading to the Council Chambers. He saw Qui-Gon standing outside the chambers ahead of him, awaiting the arrival of his Padawan. Qui-Gon greeted him with a smile and pushed the button to open the doors of the chamber. The doors slid open and they entered the room.

"Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, good it is that you are here," Master Yoda said in greeting. "Need your assistance, we do."

"The planet of Corellia has requested Jedi assistance," Master Mace Windu added. "The Human population of the planet is beginning to resent the fact that there are other, non-Human species dwelling on the same planet. There are two other species on the planet; the Selonians and the Drall. At present, a mostly Selonian/Drall government is in place, with few Humans. The Humans want more say in Corellia's affairs and are attacking the homes of the Selonians and the Drall."

"Do you have any ideas as to what could be causing this?" Qui-Gon inquired.

"No," Master Yarael Poof answered. "This is an extremely unusual situation for their planet. Actually, there have even been a select few inter-species marriages. Now assassination attempts are being made on Humans who have married outside their species and any children that have resulted from that marriage. Even Princess Caryna, the person in charge of the government, has been a target, primarily because her mother was Selonian and her father Human."

"Even worse, assassination attempts have also been made on Selonian and Drall senators. Fear is spreading through the citizens of the planet," Master Adi Gallia added. Qui-Gon nodded. Everyone in the building knew that fear was the most dangerous emotion, because fear led to the Dark Side.

"When do we leave?" Qui-Gon inquired.

"As soon as you get the information you need from Jocasta and pack the things you'll need," Master Plo Koon responded.

"May the Force be with you," Master Saesee Tiin concluded, dismissing them.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed to the Council and left the room.

Jocasta Nu was waiting for them in the Temple Archives room. "So, another diplomatic assignment, huh?" she inquired. Obi-Wan smiled and nodded. She shook her head before beginning.

"Corellia, as I'm sure you've already heard from the Council, is a planet inhabited by three species; Humans, Selonians, and Drall. The three have lived in perfect peace and harmony until now. This is the first sign of any strain between them." She gestured toward a pile of datapads on her desk. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan picked them up. "May the Force be with you," she wished them.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, bowing with Qui-Gon before following him out of the room.

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I hope you like the changes!


	2. Chapter 2

Another rewrite, again with help from Katieelessar! Your help in writing this story has been invaluable, Katie! Many thanks also go to I luv ewansmile and The Dancing Cavalier for their kind reviews. Without the three of you supporting my story, I probably wouldn't even have gotten this far!

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Qui-Gon sat in his small quarters on the ship- his quarters were not much bigger than a closet- reading the information Jocasta had given them to help them with their mission. His muscles were cramping from sitting in one place for too long. He used the Force to relax his muscles and it worked almost instantly. Sighing, he tried to continue studying the information, but something was tugging at the back of his mind. He had noticed that his Padawan had seemed very distant lately. He had sensed Obi-Wan's thoughts wandering multiple times in the past few weeks. Deciding to take a break from the material, Qui-Gon went to go speak with his Padawan. He stood up and stretched to relax his quickly re-cramping muscles. Then he walked out of his quarters and down the hall to Obi-Wan's room. He quickly opened the door. To his surprise, he found his Padawan sitting back as much as possible to make room for him.

"Is there a problem, Master? I sensed you coming. You don't usually leave research unless there is a major problem," Obi-Wan inquired, just a touch of anxiety in his otherwise calm and serene voice. He motioned for Qui-Gon to sit.

"Actually, Padawan, I was going to ask you the same question. You've seemed a little distant lately. Is something going on that I should know about?" Qui-Gon inquired as he sat down.

"Well, I should have known you'd notice. I was going to ask you about it, but whenever I was available you weren't. I had a dream about two weeks ago. It was fairly unsettling. It was almost as if…"

"As if what, Obi-Wan?"

"…as if I was reliving Cerasi's death… that's what I thought it was for a moment after I awoke, and I was upset because I thought I'd gotten over it, but then I thought about the dream and realized…"

"What?" Qui-Gon gently drew out his Padawan's feelings.

"The girl that died in my arms wasn't Cerasi…" Obi-Wan's voice trailed off. "I was unsure, but as I looked back, she seemed like a person of great importance. It felt like a vision."

"A vision? Of what?"

"That's just it! I don't know. I didn't even recognize the girl, but it was plain in the dream that I had many of the same feelings for her as I did for Cerasi."

"Don't disregard your feelings and dreams, Obi-Wan, but be careful in how much you dwell on them. This is an extremely important mission, and we can't be distracted by anything." Qui-Gon smiled sadly. "And don't forget- I know the pain of losing someone close to your heart." He stood up to leave as Obi-Wan remembered Tahl. Qui-Gon had finally told him what had happened between the two of them not long before she died. They had pledged their lives to each other, and then to lose her… Obi-Wan shuddered as he remembered how Qui-Gon had lost control of his emotions after her death. He had come very close to the Dark Side, and if Obi-Wan hadn't shown up when he did…

Obi-Wan quickly forgot the subject. He hated thinking about what had nearly happened to his Master on that mission. Instead, he returned to his research as Qui-Gon left the room.

* * *

Two standard hours later, the ship reached its destination. The two Jedi stepped off the ship as Princess Caryna came out to meet them.

"Welcome to Corellia!" she greeted them.

Obi-Wan froze. The girl he saw before him… was the girl from his dream.

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Once again, I hope you very much enjoyed the changes!


	3. Chapter 3

I don't think there were very many changes made to this chapter, but I figured I'd post it just in case. Once again, many thanks go to Katieelessar! Thank you for offering to beta for me, and thank you for the wonderful advice!

* * *

Qui-Gon sensed the change in his Padawan. He looked at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan's face had fear etched on every feature, despite his attempts to hide it. He decided to take action.

"Can you show us to our rooms, please? I believe my Padawan and I have a few things to discuss," he politely inquired in an easy manner, snapping Obi-Wan from his thoughts.

"Absolutely!" Princess Caryna said, motioning for them to follow her. "Anything for our guests!"

A few minutes later, the two Jedi were in the rooms that had been reserved for them in the palace. As soon as they were alone, Obi-Wan drew in a deep, shaky breath. He shook his head, as if trying to shake off his discomfort.

"What is it?" Qui-Gon gently asked Obi-Wan.

"I'm unsure… I… I don't know what this means…" he hesitated. "Master, I… I think I know now what the vision was about…"

"What?" he inquired concernedly, a feeling of dread beginning to crawl slowly through his body.

"I think our mission is doomed to fail."

"Why?" The dread now flowed through Qui-Gon, fearing what his Padawan was going to say next.

"The girl in my vision… was Princess Caryna…"

Qui-Gon felt a shiver run down his spine as Obi-Wan said the words he'd hoped his Padawan wouldn't say. "Let's keep your vision in mind, but don't let it distract us from protecting her. I'll contact the Temple later and tell them about your vision. In the meantime…" His voice trailed off as he sensed a dark presence approaching the palace.

"I sense it, too, Master." Obi-Wan followed him out of the room. They used a turbolift to get down to the first floor.

They felt for the presence… then had to jump to the side as a red lightsaber came smashing down on the area where they had been standing. They turned, lightsabers ignited and at the ready, to face their opponent, a figure so well covered with a black cloak, they couldn't see its face. Qui-Gon twisted his blade to block another blow.

They fought for some time, none of the three able to gain the advantage for long. Then, suddenly, the figure lowered his blade. The two Jedi followed suit. An evil laugh came from the dark figure, a laugh full of hate, anger, and pain.

"So, I see you still have the touch, my old Master!" the figure said in a voice that sent a shiver up Qui-Gon's spine. The figure pulled back his hood, revealing a face that neither Jedi had ever hoped to see again.

Qui-Gon stood, feeling his body grow cold and numb from shock, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice-cold water over him.

"_Xanatos."_


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again to Katieelessar! She has contributed to every chapter so far, and as long as she continues to edit my story she will definitely get partial credit. Oh, and I have recently rewritten every chapter, so please check them out and let me know what you think of the changes!

Well, Chapter 4 is finally up! I hope you all LOVE it! I worked even harder on this one than any of the previous ones. There will be an explanation as to how Xanatos could possibly be alive after jumping into those gross acidic pools on his homeworld of Telos. I will also describe Princess Caryna. Oh, and Katie, in response to your question, Caryna is not supposed to look similar to Cerasi. In an earlier chapter, Obi-Wan said, "I didn't even recognize the girl…" Just FYI! Once again, I thank all of you for your kind reviews and hope you enjoy the story!

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Qui-Gon stood, shocked at seeing his old Padawan alive. Beside him, Obi-Wan seemed to be in similar shock. "But how can you be alive?" Obi-Wan asked, a hint of fear in his otherwise calm voice.

"You forget, I am a master at technology and inventing! I invented an invisible suit that covered me so that the acidic pools on Telos could not harm me! There was only one problem, though- your lightsaber passed too close to my cheek and disabled the shield there, so I no longer had protection for that spot," he sneered, pointing to a patch of synth-flesh on his left cheek.

"I see," Qui-Gon said calmly. "You fooled us into thinking you had died by releasing your cloak once you were in the pool."

"Quite clever, wasn't it, my old Master?"

"I remember your biggest flaw even when you were my Padawan was your tendency to give yourself more credit than was really due you. Your pride will be your downfall."

"No, Qui-Gon! I've had enough of your shallow Jedi wisdom! Pride serves merely to strengthen your powers. Thus, my pride will be _your_ downfall!"

"Yes, now I remember your other flaw. You've always had a tendency to talk too much," Qui-Gon added.

With that, Xanatos lunged at them. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon quickly raised their blades, the Force flowing between them. Like every other time they had fought, they could each tell exactly what the other was going to do and when. They fought as one, blocking Xanatos' blows with precision accuracy that could only be gained through the Force. They moved gracefully, quickly, never stumbling, not even breaking a sweat. They gradually drove Xanatos back, until they had him against a window. Then, Xanatos smiled darkly and lowered his blade.

"I hate to break up this joyful reunion, but I'm afraid I must be going. You'll see me around. I guarantee it!" he avowed before jumping through the window. Seconds later, the two Jedi saw him speeding off on a speeder. They deactivated their lightsabers; then they looked at each other.

"We definitely need to contact the Temple," Obi-Wan said. Qui-Gon just nodded in agreement.

* * *

Minutes later, they were back in their room. They quickly contacted the Temple and informed the Council of the new developments.

"Serious, this is," Yoda agreed.

"Keep aware of your surroundings," Master Kit Fisto added. "And keep an eye on this vision young Kenobi had. If he has it again, or it seems to be coming true, contact us at once."

"And keep your senses alert for Xanatos as well," Master Ki-Adi-Mundi continued. "If he shows up again, contact us."

"May the Force be with you," Master Windu concluded. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed to the holograph of the council before ending the transmission.

As soon as they had done so, they heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," Qui-Gon called. Princess Caryna rushed into the room.

"We heard you were attacked!" she cried worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, we're fine," Obi-Wan assured her, unable to stop a smile from crossing his face. He had already come to like her warm, caring personality. Anyone could tell after a few minutes with her that, despite her caring, regal personality, she was a person who liked to get things done. He knew that, though she was fussing over them now, she would soon be busy discussing what should be done to prevent it from happening again.

As it turned out, Obi-Wan couldn't have been more right. Thirty seconds later, she was sitting down to discuss some things with Qui-Gon. They sat there talking about security issues and other things for thirty minutes. Then Princess Caryna stood up.

"It's time for the evening meal. I would be honored if you would join me downstairs. We could maybe talk a little more about this. Of course, if you'd prefer to stay here in your quarters, I can have someone send something up," she offered.

"We'd be happy to join you," Qui-Gon agreed.

* * *

Later, after the meal, Princess Caryna took Obi-Wan on a tour of the palace. Qui-Gon had decided to retire early. During that time, they talked quite a bit and found they had many things in common, quickly becoming good friends. Obi-Wan walked Caryna back to her quarters. He looked at her, taking in her full appearance. She had the stature of a Selonian, standing 2 meters tall, slightly higher than an average Human, but had no fur. She had long, wavy brown hair that fell to her knees, which was now braided and wound into a bun on her head, a very long, very muscular tail, and blue eyes. She was wearing a very beautiful light blue dress that was pretty against her pale skin and matched her eyes perfectly. Her teeth were sharper than a normal Human's, but not quite as sharp as a Selonian's. Unlike most Selonians, she had a wonderful sense of humor, but like all Selonians, she carefully weighed her actions, feeling that if she were to make a wrong decision, it would endanger the health and happiness of her people.

"Are you sure you can find your way back from here?" she inquired anxiously.

"Yes," he assured her. "If nothing else, I can feel for my Master's presence and make my way to where he is. I'll be fine."

"Well, then, goodnight," she bade him softly.

"Goodnight to you, too," he whispered.

* * *

Sometime around midnight, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan awoke to a very insistent knocking on their door.

"Come in," Obi-Wan yawned.

A very panicked Selonian bodyguard came running in. "Sirs, you must hurry! Something terrible has happened!"

"What is it?" Qui-Gon inquired.

The Selonian gulped. "Princess Caryna has been kidnapped!"

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Ok, I hate to do this, but I want to make sure people really want to read this story. I plan to have at least twenty chapters, like a traditional JA book. I hope to have Chapter 5 finished by the end of the month, depending on how much free time my three Pre-AP classes give me. After that, I will require at least two reviews to post Chapter 6, and the more reviews I get, the more likely I will be to write a sequel (or at least a JA #20!). Once again, I really hate to do this, and I will still write the story, I just won't post the next chapter unless I get at least two or three reviews! So, please R&R! This is my best story yet and I'd like to continue posting it!


	5. Chapter 5

Well, Chapter 5 is finally up! Thanks to Katieelessar, she made quite a few changes to this one, more than usual, but as always, her help is much appreciated! THANK YOU KATIE!

Thanks also to Yasona Black and iluvewansmile for your wonderful comments on Chapter 4! And for those of you who have reviewed, I have checked out your profiles and read any Star Wars fics you may have that I have had time to read and probably reviewed on them. If I didn't, it's because I was totally blown away by your writing skill and landed in another country, barely getting back in time to post this chapter!

It may be a while before Chapter 6 gets up. I'm working on another SW fic, Master Image, and I'd like to at least get up to Chapter 5 on there first. I'm into Chapter 4 on it in writing it out and am typing it up to send to Katieelessar, my editor. Thanks again to all who have reviewed!

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Obi-Wan felt himself going numb. Caryna? Kidnapped? He felt a rising fear spreading through his body, paralyzing him. Sudden panic gripped him, making it difficult for him to breathe.

So lost was he in his thoughts, he had no idea Qui-Gon had dismissed the bodyguard and had walked back to him. Qui-Gon laid a gentle, comforting hand on his Padawan's shoulder.

"Breathe in," he instructed soothingly, "Find your calm center, then breathe out all your fear and anxiety." Obi-Wan did as his Master had said- he breathed in, and using the Force, reached deep down inside of him, to the deepest, darkest parts of his heart and his mind… and as soon as he found and grasped his calm center, he felt all his terror and worry flow out of him as he breathed out. He found himself able to breathe once again, and his thoughts were clear.

"Thank you, Master," he gratefully thanked his Master. "I… I guess I really needed that lesson to be repeated."

"I guess so," Qui-Gon chuckled, smiling slightly. Truth be told, it broke his heart to see his apprentice in any kind of emotional distress. He knew that if anything happened to Caryna, Obi-Wan would blame himself. He remembered a time five years past, right after Cerasi's death when Obi-Wan had blamed himself in a way for her death. Then his thoughts reflected back to Tahl. Qui-Gon stood there, remembering the time when the love of his life had truly become one with the Force… how he had blamed himself for weeks afterward, unable even to meditate without remembering her jade eyes with stripes of molten gold, her beautiful smile… and blaming himself, for he would never see them again.

A sharp pain hit his heart and he grew sad for a moment. He quickly regained his composure, however, and focused on the task ahead.

"All right, Obi-Wan. Are you ready?" Qui-Gon asked gently. Obi-Wan took one more deep breath and nodded. "Good. Then get dressed. We have a princess to find!"

* * *

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood in the middle of Caryna's room, surveying their surroundings. Suddenly, after a few moments, Obi-Wan spoke up.

"Master, I know who the kidnapper is," he said matter-of-factly.

"What? You do?" Qui-Gon asked, surprised that his Padawan had figured out who it was before him.

"Well, he left several clues that I picked up on almost immediately. First of all, whoever kidnapped her was strong in the Force. He would have to have been in order to hide his presence- and Caryna's absence- from us."

Qui-Gon gave a start. His apprentice was correct, why had he not noticed this earlier?

"Secondly, he knew we were here. He would have to have known in order to have known that he needed to hide his presence from us."

Qui-Gon nodded in confirmation for Obi-Wan to continue. How had he not seen the obvious, when it was blatantly in front of him?

"Third, he likely left the Jedi, either keeping his lightsaber or possessing the knowledge to build another," Obi-Wan continued, indicating the scorch marks on the floor and walls. "Judging by these marks, she didn't let him take her easily," he chuckled. "And he possessed an immense knowledge of technology, seeing as he managed to disable the security cameras without anyone noticing." Qui-Gon looked up and realized that, sure enough, the lights on the security cameras were dark. Then he realized another thing- that all of Obi-Wan's observations pointed to only one person. He looked at Obi-Wan, alarmed. Obi-Wan nodded. "And finally," he said quietly, pointing to a particular image burned into the dresser- the image of a broken circle.

"Good, Obi-Wan- you've learned your lessons in observation well," Qui-Gon acknowledged his Padawan's findings. "Now all that remains is to find him- to find Xanatos. I only hope we're not too late."

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Not much of a cliffie, and I usually make it a point to end every chapter with SORT OF a cliffie at least. Oh, well. Can't do it every time! Well, thanks for reading! I've changed my mind about needing two reviews, because I'm enjoying writing this story and so will publish it anyway. However, I check the profiles of everyone who has reviewed one of my stories, and if they've written any stories for that category, unless they're rated 'M' I will read them. I don't like stories with 'M' rated content. Anyway, if I read stories, I usually post a review, so please R&R, and if you do, I'll do the same for one of your stories!

And one more thing- SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT! I promise I'll make up for it in the next chapter, and I'll try to throw in a battle scene between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and Xanatos'… goons, for lack of a better word! See ya then!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Here, finally, is chapter 6! Sorry for the long wait, but I had MAJOR writer's block. Thank my sister, whose penname is JainaSkylar, for the suggestion she gave that gave me my inspiration. Also, thank Katieelessar! She PM'd me to make sure I hadn't fallen off the face of the Earth, which made me realize that it had been FIVE FREAKIN' MONTHS since the last update…

THIS CHAPPIE IS DEDICATED TO DarthGladiator45!

* * *

Caryna's head buzzed and she moaned softly as she woke up. She pressed a hand lightly to her aching head and felt a bump, where her attacker had struck her with the hilt of his lightsaber. She looked herself over, checking for other injuries, but only found a minor burn on her upper arm from a lightsaber. She sat back wearily, leaning her aching head against the wall and closing her eyes, willing the thumping in her head to stop and trying to block it out.

After a moment or two, the thumping slowed, and seconds later, it stopped. Then she opened her eyes, and began to examine her surroundings, an action that was difficult because it was so dark. Her eyes quickly adjusted, and she realized she was in a dungeon of sorts. It was furnished with a hard cot with a flat pillow and thin blanket, and was dank and musty. In the corner she saw a hole- apparently her toilet. In front of her sat a tray with stale water and a vile, thin stew with chunks of rotting meat and vegetables floating in it. She turned her nose at the food, though she did drink the water. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a protein cube and a strip of dried meat and ate them. She was always taught to carry something with her, especially now, with the recent conflicts on her planet. She had to be prepared for anything.

Caryna looked up as her keen sense of hearing picked up footsteps approaching. She tensed up and stood shakily, but her trembling was due to a combination of anger and weakness, not fear. She scowled as the footsteps approached her cell. The door slid open and a man dressed in black stepped inside.

"So, the princess has finally awoken," he sneered, bowing mockingly to her.

She gave him a look that clearly said 'Let me go!', and though her face remained calm, passive, inside she was absolutely seething with pure rage. "As the Princess and ruling party of Corellia, I order you to let me go!"

The man laughed evilly, and there was an eerie tone to his voice. She couldn't put a finger on why she thought that, but she was determined not to let it bother her. "I don't think so, Princess! What would be the fun in that? No, I have different plans for you!" With that, he let out another evil laugh as he stalked out of the room.

Caryna sighed as she slumped onto the cot. The light in the room was getting slowly but steadily darker. She remembered the sun setting before she was attacked, so this either meant that she had been out of it for a day or several days, or she was on another side of the planet, or both. One of the three.

The princess began to feel sleep poking at her senses as she tried desperately to figure out where she was and what day it was, but her efforts were in vain as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Xanatos marched back to the communications room. He started a transmission, and a man's hidden face showed on the screen. "Lord Gastaran, report."

"The princess has awakened, Lord Sidious."

"You should know that the two Jedi are on your trail."

"I am aware of that, my Lord. In fact, I was about to call in reinforcements- others that don't want the princess, or any person that is not Human, for that matter, on the ballot for the election in three days. They should slow them down a significant amount- enough for us to do what needs to be done," Xanatos finished with a cruel grin.

"Make sure they do, Gastaran, or you will suffer. Remember what happened to my last apprentice."

"I give you my word of honor, my Lord and Master, the Jedi shall suffer!"

"Good. Now get back to your business. I have other things to tend to myself. Contact me when the work is complete."

"Yes, Master." The transmission ended and Xanatos sent a message to well-known bounty hunters nearby There was to be a ten million credit reward paid to the one who brought him the head of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"I'll deal with Qui-Gon myself."

* * *

Well, there you go. I'll try not to wait five months before posting the next update. Luv y'all, and please review. How many reviews I get will determine the next chappie's priority… oh, and I may change the category this story is in, as I just found the JA category, and if I do, I will do it RIGHT before posting the next chappie. I will also PM all of you to let you know. Thanks for reading!


	7. Author's Note

Sorry I haven't updated in a long time! I'm failing one of my classes and the rule is no posting until I get that grade up. I have to have the grade up to a 78 by March 19 to pass the class so I don't have to do summer school. I will update this summer, I promise, if I managed to pass the class, and I can find out by asking my teacher. See you all then!


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